Nightmares and Hard, Cold Reality
by This One is Dead
Summary: [Threeshot, PonyboyJohnny] Usually when Ponyboy has a nightmare, his brothers are there to comfort him. This time it's up to Johnny.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Random idea that just came to mind, really. I've wanted to do much more stuff on this pairing for a long time.

Warnings: Slash. Don't like it don't read…well, read if you want actually. I mean, I just warned you. As for flaming, well, I'd be laughing. Yesh.

--

Ponyboy stared at his strangely colored food. He had wished that Darry didn't have to pull a night shift, or ever having to. So Sodapop would never go near the stove again. How Sodapop managed to make green rice and blue chicken was way beyond anyone's mind.

"C'mon, Pony, eat," Soda said, "Two-Bit said you lost yer appetite at lunch."

"And I think I lost it again,"

Soda was able to tell by Pony's tone that he just didn't want to eat his cooked food, even though he worked an hour and a half on making it. While making an annoyed smile expression, the phone rang. Soda got up from his place of seat to answer the phone.

"Hello?" Pause.

"Oh, uh…hey, Mr. Randle!" What was Steve's dad calling them for?

"Really? Umm…well, I don't know." Another pause.

"No, no, I'm excited. Uh, in fact, consider me packing right now,"

While Soda was talking on the phone, Ponyboy was about to make his way to throwing his food to the garbage and lie that he ate it all, but when he heard the click of the phone being placed back into the receiver, Ponyboy quickly sat back down.

Soda came in, "I'm sleeping over at Steve's," he said, "I'd rather just keep my questions to his dad to myself."

Soda didn't have a problem about sleeping over at Steve's. In fact, he'd be delighted. It had been such a long time since they had a sleepover. However, when they reached 4th grade, Steve's father became an alcoholic. Soda never stepped inside the house since.

Ponyboy looked at Soda strangely as the older teenager packed his pajamas in an old bag, but kept his thoughts about it to himself.

Soda has told Ponyboy his farewell and reminded him to tell Darry about his disappearance in the morning.

'Gee, I wonder what Darry would think,' Ponyboy thought to himself, and shrugged it off quickly.

After Soda left through the screen door, Pony looked through the window, making sure his older brother had departed safely. Once Soda got out of sight, Pony got to the table where the plates of food was left behind and threw them away. 'I'll just make myself a sandwich…' he thought.

The sky had become darker from a mixture of light and dark to complete darkness with few gem-like figures sparkling through it. Screaming echoed through the dark night.

A dark figure ran out of a house at the highest velocity as he can. He skidded into a halt, leaning on a light post across the road and gasping for air.

At the house he was running out from, light from inside shone through a man, forming a human shadow at the opened door.

"Mother fucker," the man said as he moved to close the door.

Johnny was still leaning on the light post, looking back at the closing door. Once the door clicked closed, he looked forward. Once he had composed himself, he realized he had forgotten his jacket. Bad timing as well. It was a cold night in the beginning of an early spring.

Luckily, it wasn't big of a deal. The Curtis's house was just a mere few twenty yards away from where he was.

After the short, cold walk, Johnny went inside the house, closing the door as quietly as he can. He tiptoed to the couch, reached for the blanket that was placed on the headrest, and laid himself on the couch, landing his head to the armrest.

A loud scream caused his body to jolt on the couch. A breathed deeply, wondering from where it was coming from. It sounded it came from Soda an Pony's room…

Johnny got up from the couch and ran into their room. There he saw Ponyboy alone on the bed, thrashing about and screaming, obviously having a bad nightmare. Where was Soda? And wouldn't Darry hear the scream, too? Putting that aside, Johnny rushed to Ponyboy's side.

Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around Ponyboy, trying to keep his thrashing body in control.

"Pone, it's okay! It's only a dream!" Johnny yelled out, trying to keep this situation in control as best as he could.

That didn't stop though. In fact, tears started escaping through Pony's closed eyelids. Johnny never saw him look this vulnerable before. It pained him to see Ponyboy like this.

Suddenly, it seemed that his body became exhausted from the thrashing and struggling, because Pony started to relax in Johnny's arms. He was now breathing heavily. He opened his eyes slightly while in his breathing state, introducing his eyes to Johnny's worried ones.

Johnny gently places Ponyboy into a laying position on the bed, letting him go. He didn't leave his side though.

Ponyboy stopped breathing so heavily and blinked a few times at Johnny. The room grew quiet then as they were looking at each other in the eyes, and Johnny broke the silence.

"Where're yer brothers, Pone?" he asked.

"Darry's pulling a night shift," Ponyboy replied, "and Soda's sleeping over at Steve's. Don't ask."

Johnny didn't ask any questions, although he was slightly confused. He simply stayed in Ponyboy's side, stroking his hair, giving the younger teen comfort after his nightmare experience, knowing that he had to be really tired.

Ponyboy was lying on his back, allowing Johnny to stroke his hair. He hadn't felt this comfortable and warm all night. He gave a few very tired blinks and eventually drifted into a dreamless rest.

Johnny saw Ponyboy's relaxed body and eyes closed. He knew he had fallen asleep. He was about to make his way back to the couch, but had a second thought. It'd be better if he stayed sleeping with Ponyboy tonight. 'I'm sure he won't mind,' he thought.

Johnny placed himself underneath the blanket and rested his head on Soda's unoccupied pillow. He, too, drifted off to a peaceful sleep

--

A/N: So, like it? Don't like it? Curious to why Steve's dad invited Sodapop over? Well, I wanted to make it into the story, but it would be too out of it, so I'll might as well explain it here. Steve's dad bribed Steve forgiveness for money. Steve didn't want the money. So, his dad insisted him in inviting Sodapop over to sleep. Steve gets worried. The end.

I'll post up the next four chapters/shots/whatever as soon as possible!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I thought of a better idea, and instead, I will make this a three-shot, not a five-shot. Then a sequel would come afterwards. My original idea was rushed anyways. I didn't want that, obviously.

--

_The sky was lacking of shine and color. It was all in a dark gray. Strangely, it suited his mood. It was lack of happiness, lack of joy. His life has always been like that._

_Johnny never had the courage to leave his house, though today, he somehow gained it. His father was kicking his small, fragile body, and the second Johnny heard a rummage through the silverware drawer, he ran outside the door as fast as his bruised, 8-year-old body could go without another thought in his mind._

_Now, here he is under a tree, curled up into a ball. He felt a drop of water coming down to his head suddenly._

_It wasn't long when the sound of thunder started roaring loudly, lightening found its place through the cloudy skies nearly cracking the sky in half, and water started pouring hard from above._

"_See boys," Johnny heard woman talking in a concerned voice through pounding water, "I told you it was going to rain today. Here I brought your raincoats."_

_Johnny turned around and leaned over to taking a better look behind the tree he was sitting the grounds of. He saw two young boys receiving their raincoats from the woman, who by the looks of it, seems to be their mother._

"_Thanks mom," the taller boy said of the two, as the smaller one seems to be struggling to put his raincoat on._

_Man, they really lucky Johnny thought. He wished he had a mother to care for him. Unfortunately, his mother, he'll never see her as his mother._

_Once the little boy got head through the plastic poncho, his eyes were at Johnny. Johnny immediately hid himself back into his original position._

"_Hey mamma," he heard a young voice talking, "can get my umbrilla?"_

_Great, he thought sarcastically. He heard light running footsteps closing in on him._

"_Ponyboy, honey," the woman yelled, "Where are you going?"_

_Suddenly, Johnny stopped feeling water drops coming through his head. But it didn't stop raining because he could still hear raindrops meeting the pavement of the road and grass. Johnny looked up and saw the young boy, whose name was probably Ponyboy since that was being called from the woman yelling. Well, better have a weird name and have the love of a family than a common name and get abused._

'_Ponyboy' looked very young, small…not to mention cute. _

---

Johnny awoke, finding that his arm was wrapped around Ponyboy's rested form in bed. Remembering everything that had happened, Johnny let a frown form in his face while looking at his bedmate.

Ponyboy didn't deserve to witness darkness. He already had his loving parents disappear before his very eyes. He really shouldn't have nightmares after such tragedy happened to him.

He looked at Ponyboy's sleeping form and saw how young he looked. He couldn't help but think he looked sweet and innocent in his sleep.

Johnny looked out the window and saw that little light is coming through the horizon. It's probably around six o'clock. Thinking that it was too early, Johnny rested his head back onto the pillow and closed his eyes off reality…

---

Ponyboy opened his green-gray eyes slightly into little slits. He immediately closed them from the morning sun shining from the window hitting his orbs. He drowsily turned over, blinked a few times to open his eyes completely, and made contact with someone's chest, covered in a black shirt. Looking up, he saw a blush-worthy sight.

Feeling heat forming in his face, he sat up from the bed, causing Johnny's arm to raise and drape into the now empty bedside. The movement Pony caused Johnny to make most likely awoke him because when his arm fell onto the mattress, he let out a moan and his eyebrows furrowed.

Pony still felt heat in nearly his entire face. When Johnny began to sit up, Ponyboy looked away trying to hide the annoying, heating redness that won't leave his face.

Johnny looked at him with a confused, concerned expression. He moved to make Ponyboy face him, and noticed Ponyboy's red face. Johnny wondered what caused Ponyboy's face to be red. Did Pony do something by accident or something?

"Hey Pone, what's up?" Johnny asked sympathetically.

For once, Ponyboy couldn't dig for a lie. Usually, he's actually good at lying. So good it actually scared him. But this time, lying couldn't come to the rescue. Especially when you have to lie about something you've been kept bottled in for a long time. When it's the chance to let it out, that would _have_ to be the time. Glory, why now, Pony thought, I never plan on saying this.

For a long time now, Ponyboy and Johnny had actually developed a closer feeling towards each other. It was much more than close friendship. Both of them had thought it was just a mere hormone that it would go away overtime. But it never left them. It remained haunting their minds. Both of them thought if they were going mentally ill for developing a closer feeling than friendship towards the same gender.

He couldn't hold it in. He cannot lie, like he usually would easily. Pony clutched at the blankets and licked his lips nervously. He had to let out his feelings. Though he wasn't ready for whatever that might come afterwards. Johnny would hate him. Darry would pay for a psychologist while Soda shoves pictures of beautiful woman in his face, trying to make him like girls.

Johnny, however, kept his eyes at Ponyboy.

_Man, he looks really cute when he blushes like tha-Ah! I have to stop thinking these things about him! Stay focus. I'll stop having this…'feeling'…towards him sometime soon. God, I hope so. Because right now, I just want to…ugh, I have to hold it back!_

Ponyboy looked at him even more nervously. "Johnny…I…_I_…"

_But I can't!_

That was the last thing Johnny thought the second his palm got into the back of Ponyboy's head and launched a kiss on his lips and released.

Ponyboy's face became even redder. Johnny didn't think it would get redder than before. He can see a tint of smile forming in Ponyboy's face as he reached up to touch his own lips. That was the very last thing Johnny would expect, that Ponyboy actually liked the kiss.

Just then, the sounds of the screen door opening made both boys jump.

"Soda, Pony, I'm home!" Darry's voice echoed through the house.

"I gotta go," with that, Johnny ran out the room.

That was when it hit Ponyboy real hard. Not only did he have feelings for Johnny that he couldn't deny or fight off, but also Johnny felt the same thing for him. But they were both boys. Two boys, in love, and stuck in a cruel world where if you don't have feelings for the opposite gender, you'd be either looked down at by people who would be talking about you behind your back every day, saying you would have some sort of mental problems.

But Ponyboy knows there's nothing wrong with him. He just loves his best friend, right?

--

A/N: And that's Akane's best (lame) attempt in making slash realistic as she can as if made from the 60s. Whoopee. She sucks, doesn't she:)

Reviews can make any author happy!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Okay now, here's the deal. I'll be leaving to Cuba on Tuesday (my time) so I'll be gone for two weeks. Therefore, the sequel won't be written for quite some time from now. That is all.

--

The sun descends from its rightful place high in the sky. It lays over the horizon, creating magnificent colors of gold, yellow, pink, purple, and different hues of blue all over the sky.

Long, denim-covered legs lay in the very messy green grass of the park in which is located in Independence Avenue, knees bent. The legs' sources were two male bodies, one that is tanned and the other was pale.

Ponyboy leans his ear on Johnny's chest, feeling the cotton fabric of his black shirt in the exterior of his ear, hearing the beating sound of Johnny's heart. He let his hands rest on Johnny's moving, breathing chest. Pony was facing towards west, where the sun rests over the horizon.

Johnny held his arms around Ponyboy protectively, permitting him lean on his chest. He leans on the tree bark as he was, too, facing towards west.

Ponyboy didn't remember the last time he was this content, not even before his parents died. He had put aside the fact they were both guys a long while ago. He was in love and happy, and that's all that counts.

Same thing with Johnny; he had put that aside as well. Except, he put it aside sooner than Ponyboy did; he had gone through worse.

It amazed them how they have been together like this for almost a month and nobody noticed (Although lately, Dallas Winston had been suspicious and they took note of this). Well, it's for the better that no one would know.

Both of them had thought about it. Should they tell the gang? Should Pony tell his brothers? Would they look down at them?

As time went by, all that was behind them now. Sure, they think about it from time to time, and get worried. They would even feel they're stomachs flip and goose bumps forming at the thought of the possibilities of what would happen if anyone found out. Currently though, they cared about each other's presence the most.

Pony stayed there, listening to Johnny's heartbeat, feeling the fabric of denim of Johnny's jean jacket around him until the sun disappeared with all its colors and beauty. He lets Johnny to get up from his place of seat by the tree. Johnny extends his arm downward, helping Pony getting up from his place of seat on the grass. However, when Pony got up, Johnny didn't let go of his hand. Why would he?

They both saw each other in the eyes and smiled. Sometimes, they don't need words to say what they're thinking. Johnny places his free hand on Ponyboy's neck and places a light kiss on his lips. Ponyboy kisses back, his own free hand on Johnny's shoulder.

Once the kiss was released, they gave each other another light smile and didn't let go of their hands as they departed from the lot and towards the sidewalk in the Tulsa night.

---

On the second floor of the building of loud music, Dally lies on the empty twin bed wearing only his jeans, staring at the ceiling.

Man, Dally thought, what a party that was. However, even though the party went well for him, he couldn't get one thing off his mind.

Ponyboy and Johnny had been spending time together a lot more lately, not that they didn't spend time together before. At each other's presence, their smiles would grow wider. Could it be possible that…

Naw, it can't be, he thought. He must be thinking too many possibilities.

Besides, if something were going on between them, he would have to let go of that one thing he had been wanting for a long time.

And Dallas Winston always gets what he wants.

--

A/N: NO NO NO! This is _not_ going to be a DallasJohnny fic. So, if it isn't Johnny that he wants, what is it that Dally has to let go of if they were actually in love? Surprise, surprise! Stay tuned for the sequel to find out.


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